Blue Santa’s elves are busy working to provide toys to children in need in Georgetown. Like they do every year, Blue Santa and his elves need your help.

A program of the Georgetown Police Department, Blue Santa provides toys to more than 1,500 children in Georgetown during its annual toy drive and distribution.

You can help Blue Santa by donating a toy at the Christmas Stroll Parade on Saturday, December 3. The parade starts at 10 a.m. New, unwrapped toys will be collected by Blue Santa Elves along the parade route, which is on Austin Avenue from Ninth to Sixth streets on the downtown Square.

New, unwrapped toys also may be dropped off in donation barrels in businesses and offices in Georgetown.

December 1 is the application deadline for assistance from Blue Santa. Applications are available at The Caring Place at 2000 Railroad Street and the Georgetown Police Department at the Public Safety Operations and Training Center at 3500 DB Wood Road.

Children who qualify for Blue Santa are age 18 or younger, live in Georgetown city limits, and qualify for free or reduced lunch program at school or meet federal poverty guidelines.

National Night Out is an annual event to support safe neighborhoods held in Georgetown this year on Tuesday, October 4. Block parties are being organized for 6 to 9 p.m. that evening.

Online registration for National Night Out block parties in Georgetown ends on September 27. Registering your block party provides the information to the Georgetown Police Department so that an officer or other City employees or officials can visit the event.

Last year there were 45 registered National Night Out events in Georgetown with an estimated 2,600 citizens participating. Georgetown Police Department officers as well as other local law enforcement officers, elected officials, Georgetown firefighters and EMS technicians, and other City employees attended block parties in Georgetown.

The Georgetown Police Department is holding a reception for hosts of NNO block parties at 6:30 p.m. on September 30 at the Public Safety Operations and Training Center, 3500 D.B Wood Road.

To register your National Night Out block party in Georgetown, go to pd.georgetown.org/national-night-out on the City website. There is a link to an online form to register your block party.

Georgetown firefighters and police officers will participate in a memorial stair climb at the Georgetown ISD athletic stadium on Sunday, September 11. The climb is done each year as a tribute to first responders who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. Participants will climb the equivalent of 110 stories—the height of the World Trade Center towers in New York City.

The event begins at 8 a.m. with an invocation by Fire Lieutenant Brad Cox followed by comments from Georgetown Fire Chief John Sullivan and Georgetown Police Chief Wayne Nero. One firefighter and one police officer will post the colors before the climb begins. The Georgetown Fire Department Pipe Band will be at the event and will play prior to the climb.

The firefighters on the climb will be wearing firefighting gear including boots, helmets, protective pants and jackets, and air packs. Police officers will carry extra tactical gear on the climb. Participants will pause for a moment of silence at the times that each of the World Trade Center towers collapsed.

The gate to the stadium opens at 7:30 a.m. for the event. Members of the public and the news media are welcome to attend the event and observe.

The Georgetown ISD Athletic Complex is located behind Georgetown High School at 2211 N. Austin Avenue in Georgetown.

National Night Out is an annual event to support safe neighborhoods held in Georgetown this year on Tuesday, October 4. Block parties are being organized for 6 to 9 p.m. that evening.

Online registration for National Night Out block parties in Georgetown starts on September 5 and ends on September 27. Registering your block party provides the information to the Georgetown Police Department so that an officer or other City employees or officials can visit the event.

Last year there were 45 registered National Night Out events in Georgetown with an estimated 2,600 citizens participating. Georgetown Police Department officers as well as other local law enforcement officers, elected officials, Georgetown firefighters and EMS technicians, and other City employees attended block parties in Georgetown.

The Georgetown Police Department is holding a reception for hosts of NNO block parties at 6:30 p.m. on September 30 at the Public Safety Operations and Training Center, 3500 D.B Wood Road.

To register your National Night Out block party in Georgetown, go to pd.georgetown.org/programs-services on the City website. There is a link to an online form to register your block party.

The first day of classes for schools in the Georgetown school district is Tuesday, August 23. The Georgetown Police Department reminds drivers to slow down in school zones. As students go back to school, police will be monitoring school zones throughout the city.

School zone speed limits are in effect during the posted hours or when yellow lights are flashing. The fine for speeding in a school zone is $10 per mile over the limit, plus state court costs. This would mean a $229 fine for driving 30 mph in a 20 mph zone, for example.

State law prohibits the use of a wireless communication device in a school zone during the posted hours or when yellow lights are flashing.

National Night Out is a proven and effective way to promote crime prevention in our neighborhoods. Residents volunteer to host an event (at a home, common area or apartment complex), and invite people to attend. It’s a great way to get to know and connect with neighbors. When neighbors look out for each other, there is less chance of crimes occurring in their neighborhood.

The event can be simple or elaborate. It can be a pot luck dinner, an ice-cream social or just snacks and drinks. One neighborhood in Georgetown consistently has a huge party and street dance. They rock the block! Hopefully, some of the larger neighborhoods can make this activity one of their annual events.

There were 45 registered National Night Out events scattered throughout the city in 2015. An estimated 2,600 citizens attended last year’s National Night Out. Events were also attended by and city personnel. Law enforcement personnel included Georgetown police officers, the Department’s Criminalist, Statistician, and Victim Services Directors. Members of the command staff took the mayor and city council persons to the events located in their council districts. Events were also attended by Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3, Bill Gravell, and Precinct 3 Constable, Kevin Stofle. Precinct 3 includes all of the city of Georgetown.

Georgetown firefighters and EMS personnel also attend events. There were approximately 30 firefighters and four EMS personnel that participated throughout the city. For the first time last year, State Troopers from the Texas Highway Patrol attended events citywide. You are encouraged to chat with all of them and to ask questions.

When you fill out your registration form for the GPD NNO, you will be asked to check which city groups you would like to have at your event.

Last year, NNO started a new program, Dog Walkers Watch (DWD). To register or get information for DWD, go to https://natw.org/dog. For the “Organization or Agency” fill in Georgetown Police Department, Georgetown TX. The GPD is a member of NATW.

This year, registration will open on September 5, 2016, and the final day for registration will be September 27, 2016. To register your event via online submission form, scroll to the bottom of this page. Don’t forget to click the “Submit” button. That will send the form directly to the Volunteer NNO Coordinator. If you prefer a print-out version of the form that you can fill in by hand, click on this link: National Night Out print application 2016

On September 30, 2016, at 6:30 p.m., a Host reception will be held at the GPD and party related items can be selected by the host for distribution at the parties. There will be a limited number of table covers available and will be distributed by a drawing.

The Citizen Police Academy is a 10-week course to educate citizens about all aspects of the Georgetown Police Department. The fall 2016 academy is instructed by police officers, fire department personnel, and officers of the district and county court system. The deadline to apply is August 22.

Session topics include the history of policing, laws and code of criminal procedure, criminal and accident investigations, lethal and less-lethal weapons, crime scene investigations, officer safety, the court system, fire department response, and other community support services.

Weekly classes begin on Thursday, August 25 and finish with a graduation ceremony on Thursday, October 27. Each class starts promptly at 6 p.m. and ends at 8 p.m. The first class will be held in the training room of the Public Safety Operations and Training Center, 3500 D.B. Wood Road.

There is no charge to attend the academy, but seating is limited and applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications are available at the Georgetown Police Department reception desk or by emailing a request to Linda.Lipscomb@georgetown.org.

A background check will be conducted on all applicants. No one under the age of 18 is eligible to apply. Persons with a prior felony conviction will not be accepted. All applicants will be notified of acceptance. For additional information or questions, please call (512) 930-2747.

On Wednesday, May 4, a group of female officers and civilian employees with the Georgetown Police Department will volunteer at a Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County (HFHWC) home in Georgetown as part of Habitat’s National Women Build Week.

This is the second year that the Georgetown Police Department will participate. Almost twenty volunteers will help build a home in Georgetown. The group is also fundraising for HFHWC to help support future home builds in Williamson County.

National Women Build Week, a weeklong event created by Habitat for Humanity’s Women Build program, challenges participants to devote at least one day to help build affordable housing in their local communities. The week also spotlights the homeownership challenges faced by women.

Police Chief Wayne Nero is proud of his department’s efforts. “Several times a year, women from our department get together for professional development. At least once per year they identify a project in which they can engage our community,” Nero said.

“This year, they again are working with the Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County in honor of National Women Build Week. They will be providing sweat equity for a local affordable housing project and have also engaged in some traditional fundraising for Habitat. I am extremely proud of the women in the Georgetown Police Department and am proud to be their Chief.”

Founded in 1999, Habitat for Humanity of Williamson County brings communities and people together to create and sustain home ownership opportunities in Williamson County. Habitat has worked with more than 15,000 volunteers and community donors to help 70 families (with their 165 children) become homeowners in Leander, Georgetown, Round Rock, Taylor, and Jarrell.

To help protect the water supply and reduce household risks, bring unwanted medications to Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday, April 30 in Georgetown. Drugs that are expired or unused will be collected—no questions asked—from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Sun City Legacy Hills Park Pavilion, 200 Del Webb Boulevard and the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office, 508 S. Rock Street.

One goal of the free collection of unwanted medications is to keep them from being poured down the drain or flushed down a toilet. Pharmaceuticals that are put in our wastewater system can affect water quality in our creeks, rivers, and lakes.

Removing unwanted medications from your home also reduces risks of accidental overdose or intentional use of prescription drugs by children or visitors in your home.

The Take-Back Day is part of a nation-wide effort of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to reduce the risk of unwanted medications in our homes. Local partners in the Drug Take-Back Day include the Georgetown Police Department, LifeSteps Council on Alcohol and Drugs, Williamson County EMS, and the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office.

Medications that are dropped off should be in their original containers, if possible. Drugs brought to the drop-off may include expired or unwanted over-the-counter and controlled medicines, drugs prescribed for pets, medicines from deceased family members, or unknown tablets and capsules. Items not accepted include sharps (needles and syringes), mercury thermometers, IV bags, personal care products, and medical equipment.

The collection is for individual households. Medications cannot be accepted from businesses such as nursing homes, doctor’s offices, or other institutions or businesses.

For more information, call LifeSteps at (512) 246-9880 or visit the DEA website at www.dea.gov.

This month, in cooperation with Georgetown Police Department Victim Services, The Christi Center, a non-profit grief support center, will be starting a meeting for those who have lost a loved one to suicide. In January, The Christi Center began offering a Georgetown support group for those who have lost a loved one to crime. Both of these groups meet from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of every month.

The next Crime Victim’s group and first Loss to Suicide group will be April 21 in the Georgetown Community Resource Center at 805 W. University Avenue in Georgetown. If you plan to attend, please call The Christi Center at (512) 467-2600 for a brief intake conversation prior to your first meeting. Or if you need more information, contact the Georgetown Police Department Victim Services at (512) 930-2595 and ask for Anthony Rector.

The Christi Center is a non-profit grief support center providing support services to Central Texans for over 28 years. The Christi Center’s mission is to provide hope after the death of a loved one by providing support networks, community education and therapeutic activities that are free, peer-based, and ongoing.